The intestinal tract plays a critical role in animal health and wellness. To help fulfill this role, the intestinal tract contains various microorganisms that comprise a healthy gastrointestinal microflora under normal conditions. The microflora confers many benefits to the animal, e.g., the production of fatty acids that fuel the cells that line the gastrointestinal lumen, the synthesis of vitamins, and the synthesis of enzymes that aid in the breakdown and digestion of food. In addition, the microflora aids the immune system in host protection from disease. For example, microflora are known to inhibit the attachment to and colonization of potential pathogens within the gastrointestinal tract and to stimulate the production of cytokines and immunoglobulins.
Probiotics and their benefits for non-human animal health are well known to skilled artisans. Probiotics are live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect in the prevention and treatment of specific medical conditions when ingested. Probiotics are believed to exert biological effects through a phenomenon known as colonization resistance. Probiotics facilitate a process whereby the indigenous anaerobic flora limits the concentration of potentially harmful (mostly aerobic) bacteria in the digestive tract. Other modes of action, such as supplying enzymes or influencing enzyme activity in the gastrointestinal tract, may also account for some of the other functions that have been attributed to probiotics. Probiotics are known to enhance intestinal function, stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and diminish the population of harmful microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract.
While probiotics are generally useful for promoting the health of a non-human animal, they are often difficult to orally administer to the animal. Often, the palatability must be disguised or enhanced using other compounds or compositions. There is, therefore, a need for new compositions containing probiotics.